Remember Me
by TheCobaltSkye
Summary: Katniss has already been reaped into the 74th Annual Hunger Games and has finally made it to the Capitol where she only expects to find her death, but not something else that was to be a little bit more unexpected.
1. Human Renovations

**Here's another one, another Clovniss story that will have their relationship develop within their time in the training center together.**

* * *

Chapter: 1

Katniss and Peeta stand in silence the train speeds along. The tunnel goes on and on and Katniss thinks of the tons of rock separating her from the sky, and her chest tightens. She hates being encased in a stone this way. It reminds her of the mines and her father, trapped, unable to reach sunlight, buried forever in the darkness.

The train finally begins to slow and suddenly bright light floods the compartment. They can't help it. Both Katniss and Peeta run to the window to see what they've only seen on television, the Capitol, the ruling city of Panem. The cameras haven't lied about its grandeur. If anything, they have not quite captured the magnificence of the glistening buildings in a rainbow of hues that tower into the air, the shiny cars that roll down the wide paved streets, the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and painted faces who have never missed a meal. All the colors seem artificial, the pinks too deep, the greens too bright, the yellows painful to the eyes. Like flat round disks of hard candy they can never afford to buy at the tiny sweet shop in District 12.

The residents of the Capitol begin to point at them eagerly as they recognize a tribute train rolling into the city. Katniss steps away from the window, sickened by their excitement knowing they can't wait to watch them die. But Peeta stands his ground, actually waving and smiling at the gawking crowd. He only stops when the train pulls into the station, blocking them from their view.

He sees Katniss staring at him and shrugs. "Who knows?" guessed Peeta. "One of them may be rich."

Katniss realizes that she has misjudged Peeta. She thinks of his actions since the reaping began. The friendly squeeze of her hand. His father showing up with cookies and promising to feed Prim..._did Peeta put him up to that? _His tears at the station. Volunteering to wash Haymitch but then challenging him this morning when apparently the nice guy approach had failed. And now the waving at the window, already trying to win the crowd.

All of the pieces are still fitting together, but she sensed he has a plan forming. He hasn't accepted his death. Peeta is already fighting hard to stay alive. Which also means that kind Peeta Mellark, the boy who gave her the bread, is fighting hard to kill her to.

* * *

Katniss grits her teeth as Venia, a woman with aqua hair and gold tattoos above her eyebrows, yanks a strip of fabric from her leg, tearing out the hair beneathe it. "Sorry!" She pipes in her silly Capitol accent. "You're just so hairy!"

_Why do these people speak in such a high pitch? Why do their jaws barely open when they talk? Why do the ends of their sentences go up as if they're asking a question? Odd vowels it's words. And always a hiss in the letter s...no wonder it's impossible not to mimic them._

Venia makes what's suppose to be a sympathetic face. "Good news, though. This is the last one. Ready?" Katniss gets a grip on the edges of the table she is seated on and nod. The final swathe of her leg hair is uprooted in a painful jerk.

Katniss has been in the Remake Center for more than three hours and she still hasn't met her stylist. Apparently he has no interest in seeing her until Venia and the other members of her prep team have addressed some obvious problems. This has included scrubbing down her body with a gritty foam that has removed not only dirt but three layers of skin, turning her nails into uniform shapes, and primarily, ridding her body of hair. Katniss's legs, arms, torso, underarms, and parts of her eyebrows have been stripped of the stuff, leaving her like a plucked bird ready for roasting. She doesn't like it. Her skin feels sore and tingling and intensely vulnerable. But she has to keep her side of the bargain with Haymitch, and no objection regarding her treatment at the Remake Center has crossed her lips. Katniss has done well to remember his exact words to her and Peeta. "You'll be put in the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist." said the man in his brusque voice. _I'm sure he remembers all to well the unwanted affects of being at the hands of a stylist. _

Though Katniss and Peeta don't question this. The Hunger Games isn't a beauty contest,but the best-looking tributes always seem to pull more sponsors.

"You're doing so well." cheered Flavius. He gives his orange corkscrew locks a shake and applies a fresh coat of purple lipstick to his mouth. "If there's one thing we can't stand, it's a whiner. Grease her down!"

venia and Octavia, a plump woman whose entire body has been dyed a pale shade of pea green, rub Katniss down with a lotion that at first stings but then soothes her raw skin. Then they pull her from the table removing the thin robe She'd been allowed to wear off and on. Katniss stands there, completely naked, as the three prep members circle her, wielding tweezers to remove any last bits of hair. _I know I should be embarrassed, but they're so unlike people that I'm no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly birds were pecking around my feet. _

The three step back and admire their work "Excellent! You almost look like a human being now!" says Flavius, and they all laugh.

Katniss force her lips up into a smile to show how grateful she is. "Thank you," Katniss says sweetly. "We don't have much cause to look nice in District Twelve."

This wins them over completely. "Of course, you don't, you poor darling!" cried Octavia clasping her hands together in distress for Katniss.

"But don't worry," encouraged Venia. "By the time Cinna is through with you, you're going to be absolutely gorgeous!"

"We promised! You know, now that we've gotten rid of all the hair and filth, you're not horrible at all!" said Flavius who was also trying to encourage Katniss. "Let's call Cinna!"

They dart out of the room. _It's hard to hate my prep team. They're such total idiots. And yet, in an odd way, I know they're sincerely trying to help me._

Katniss looks at the cold white walls and floor and tries to resist the impulse to retrieve her robe. But she knew that this Cinna, her stylist, will surely maker her remove it at once. Instead Katniss's hands go to her hairdo, the one area of her body her prep team had been told to leave alone. Katniss's fingers stroke the silky braids her mother so carefully arranged. _My mother. I had left her blue dress and shoes on the floor of the train car, never thinking about retrieving them, of trying to hold on to a piece of her, of home. Now I wish I had._

The silver doors open and a young man who must be Cinna enters. Katniss is taken aback by how normal he looks. Most of the stylist they interview on television are so dyed, stenciled, and surgically altered they're grotesque. But Cinna's close cropped hair appears to be it's natural shade of brown. He's in a simple black shirt and pants. The only concession to self-alteration seems to be metallic gold eyeliner that has been applied with a light hand. It brings out the flecks of gold in his green eyes. And, despite her disgust with the Capitol and their hideous fashions, Katniss couldn't help thinking how attractive it looks.

"Hello, Katniss. I'm Cinna, your stylist." he says in a quiet voice somewhat lacking in the Capitol's affectations."Hello." murmured Katniss.

"Just give me a moment, all right?" Cinna asks. He walks around Katniss's naked body, not touching her, but taking in every inch of it with his eyes. Katniss resist the impulse to cross her arms over her chest. "Who did your hair?"

"My mother" answered Katniss.

"It's beautiful. Classic really. And in almost in perfect balance with your profile. She has very clever fingers," marveled Cinna.

_I had expected someone flamboyant, someone older trying desperately to look young, someone who viewed me as a piece of meat to be prepared for a platter. Cinna has met none of that expectations._

"You're new aren't you?" I don't think I've seen you before," inquired Katniss. _Most of the stylist are familiar, constants in the ever-changing pool of tributes. Some have been around my whole life. _

"Yes this is my first year in the Games," Cinna placed his soft hands underneathe Katniss's chin lifting her head slightly and directing it from side to side with a strong gaze. "You have a wonder bone structure."

"Uh, thanks. So they gave you District Twelve then." _There's no surprise there newcomers generally end up with us, the least desirable districts._

"I asked for District Twelve," said Cinna. "Why don't you put on your robe and we'll have a chat."

* * *

Pulling on her robe, Katniss follows him through a door into a sitting room. Two red couched face off over a low table. Three walls are blank, the fourth is entirely glass, providing a window to the city. Katniss could see by the light that it must be around noon, although the sunny sky has turned overcast. Cinna invites Katniss to sit on one of the couches ans sits across from her. He presses a button on the side of the table. The top splits and from below rises a second tabletop that holds our lunch. Chicken and chunks of oranges cooked in a creamy sauce laid on a bed of pearly white grain, tiny peas and onions, rolls shaped like flowers, and for dessert, a pudding the color of honey.

Katniss tired to imagine assembling this meal back home. Chickens are too expensive, but she could made do with a wild turkey. She'd need to shoot a second turkey to trade for an orange. Goat's milk would have to substitute for cream. They could grow peas in the garden outside the house, but Katniss would have to get wild onions from the woods. She didn't recognize the white grain, their own tessera ration cooks down to an unattractive brown mush. Fancy rolls would mean another trade with the baker, perhaps for two or three squirrels. As for the pudding, she couldn't even guess what's in it. Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitution for the Capitol version.

_What it must be like I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to roll in and die for their entertainment?_

Katniss looks and find Cinna's eyes trained on mine. "How despicable we must seem to you,"

_Has he seen this in my face or somehow read my thoughts? He's right. Though. The whole rotten lot of them is despicable._

"No matter," said Cinna. "So, Katniss, about your costume for the opening ceremonies. My partner, portia, is the stylist for you fellow tribute, Peeta. And our current thought is to dress you in complementary costumes," Cinna takes a few sips of his beverage before continuing. "As you kno, it's customary to reflect the flavor of the district."

For the opening ceremonies, a tribute is suppose to wear something that suggest your district's principle industry. District 11, agriculture. District 4, fishing. District 3, factories. This means that coming from District 12, Katniss and Peeta would have to be in some sort of coal miner's getup. Since the baggy miner's jumpsuits are not particularly becoming, District 12's tributes usually end up in skimpy outfits and hats with headlamps. _One year, our tributes were stark naked and covered in black powder to represent coal dust. It's always dreadful and does nothing to win favor with the crowd. I prepare my self for the worst, already imaging the selected words that would announce my costume._

"So, I'll be in a coal miner outfit?" asks Katniss, hoping it won't be indecent.

"Not exactly. You see, Portia and I think coal miner thing's very overdone. No one will remember you in that. And we both see it as our job to make District Twelve tributes unforgettable," answered Cinna.

_Yeah, I'm going to be naked for sure. Why else would anyone remember me for what a skinny and poor girl from District Twelve? _

"So rather than focus on the coal mining itself, we're going to focus on the coal," explained Cinna.

_Naked and covered in black coal dust most definitely. _

"And what do we do with coal? We burn it," Cinna smiles at Katniss. "You're not afraid of fire are you Katniss." He sees Katniss's expression and smiles even more.


	2. Parade of the Tributes:They'll Love You

Chapter: 2

Hours later Katniss is dressed in what will either be the most sensational or the deadliest costume in the open ceremonies. She's in a simple black unitard that covers her from ankle to neck. Shiny leather boots lace up to her knees. But it's the fluttering cape made of streams of orange, yellow, and red and the matching headpiece that define this costume. Cinna plans to light them on fire just before District 12's chariot rolls into the streets.

"It's not real flame, of course, just a little synthetic fire Portia and I came up with. You'll be perfectly safe," assured Cinna.

_I'm not completely convinced I won't be perfectly fried by the time we reach the city's center._

Katniss's face is relatively clear of makeup, just a bit of highlighting here and there. Her hair has been brushed out and then braided down my back in my usual style. "I want the audience to recognize you, to remember you when you're in the arena," said Cinna. "Katniss, the girl who was on fire."

"Yes, but not literally right?" asked Katniss, who was still having second thoughts about going through with this. _Cinna's calm and normal demeanor makes a complete madman._

"Of course, not literally, and getting burned by fake fire should be the least of your worries. Making that everlasting impression on the audience is want we need to be worry about." replied Cinna.

"Yeah I know you want the whole Capitol to remember me, but for what? Maybe I don't want to be remembered by them, the people I hate the most!" yelled Katniss.

Cinna walks over to Katniss who was fighting back tears and placed his hands on her shaking shoulders. "It's alright to feel angry and you have every right to be, but to ensure your survival in the games you need sponsors and whether or not you like those people out there, they will like you if you give them a reason to, a reason to want to spend their money on you, a reason for them to want to see you make it."

Katniss wipes away a few escaped tears. "I-I just want to go back home."

Her stylist lift's her head gently with his hand. "Hey listen to me, look around you and understand the kind of world you are in now, a world where only winners survive. Winners and losers can both go back home the only difference is that Winners make it home alive and the losers make it home dead." Katniss felt his words as hard as they were to hear, truth flowed through them this was a different world now with a different set of rules to play by.

"Be a winner Katniss and try if not for yourself then for someone you care dearly for, like your little sister." said Cinna.

_The promise! I had nearly forgotten the promise I made to Prim, that I would try to win for her._

"I watched your reaping and I will admit it touched me dearly what you did for her and I knew I had to have District Twelve, because here was someone who was wearing their heart on their sleeve, something I haven't seen in a long time." confessed Cinna.

Katniss looks deeply into Cinna's green-golden flecked eyes and sees someone for the first time reaching into her emotional soul filled with turmoil. _Why? Why does he care so much? He's here to make me look pretty not to give console to me, that not apart of his job description. A stylist and guidance counselor rolled into one person I must have the odds ever in my favor after all._

Cinna pulls Katniss close to him into a gentle hug, the kind of hug that Katniss missed receiving from her father, strong and gentle with love in every squeeze.

Katniss finally pulled away smiling at the young man before her. "I never expected this from my stylist."

"What, that I care so much? Well I am human and as a human, yes, I do care." remarked Cinna.

A small session of bells went off into the room signaling to ever tribute in the building to proceed to their designated places outside for the start of the opening ceremonies.

"Are you ready now?" ask Cinna.

Katniss smiles up a little at Cinna hoping it was enough to convince him that she was, even though on the inside she still wasn't and her heart was beating rapidly. "I think I am now."

"Remember this Katniss, okay? You're not alone and never count yourself out." Cinna adjusts her costume before leading the way out of the room to join the other tributes outside.

* * *

Despite this morning's revelation about Peeta's character, Katniss is actually relived when he shows up, dressed in an identical costume. _He should know about fire, being a baker's son and all. _Peeta's stylist Portia, and her team accompanies him, and everyone is absolutely giddy with excitement over what a splash we'll make. Except Cinna, Katniss notes that he just seems a bit weary as he accepts congratulations.

Both Katniss and Peeta are whisked down to the bottom level of the Remake Center, which is essentially a gigantic stable. The opening ceremonies are about to start. Pairs of tributes are being loaded into chariots pulled by teams of four horses. District Twelve's horses are coal black. The animals are so well trained, no one even needs to guide their reins. Cinna and Portia direct their tributes into their chariot and carefully arranged their body positions, the drape of their capes, before moving off to consult with each other.

"What do you think?" whispers Katniss to Peeta. "About the fire?"

"I'll rip off your cape if you'll rip off mine," said Peeta, through gritted teeth.

"Deal," said Katniss. _Maybe, if we can get them off soon enough, we'll avoid the worst burns. It's bad enough. They'll throw us into the arena no matter what condition we're in. _"I know we promised Haymitch we'd do exactly what they said, but I don't think he considered this angle."

"Where is Haymitch, anyway? Isn't he suppose to protect us from this sort of thing?" questioned Peeta.

"With all that alcohol in him, it's probably not advisable to have him around an open flame," joked Katniss.

And suddenly both Katniss and Peeta are laughing. _I guess we're both so nervous about the Games and pressingly, petrified of being turned into human torches, we're not acting sensibly._

The opening music begins. It's easy to hear, blasted around the Capitol. Massive doors slide open revealing the crowd-lined streets. The ride lasts about twenty minutes and ends up at the City Circle, where they will welcome all the tributes, play the anthem, and escort them all into the Training Center, which will be their home/prison until the Games begin.

The tributes from District 1 ride out in a chariot pulled by snow-white horses. They look so beautiful, spray-painted silver luxury items for the Capitol. _You can hear the roar of the crowd. They are always favorites. _

District 2 gets into position to follow them. In no time at all, we are approaching the door and Katniss could see that between the overcast sky and evening hour the light is turning gray. The tributes from District 11 are just rolling out when Cinna appears with a lighted torched. "Here we go then," And before Katniss or Peeta could react he sets their capes on fire. Katniss gasps, waiting for the heat, but there is only a faint tickling sensation. Cinna climbs up before them and ignites their headdresses. He lets out a sigh of relief. "It works." _Was there ever any doubt? _Then he gently tucks a hand underneath Katniss's chin. "Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!"

Cinna jumps off the chariot and has one last idea. He shouts something up at them, but the music drowns him out. He shouts again and gestures.

"What's he saying?" Katniss asked Peeta. _For the first time, I look at him and realize that ablaze with fake flames, he is dazzling. And I must be, too._

"I think he wants us to hold hands," replies Peeta. He grabs Katniss's right hand in his left, and they both look to Cinna for confirmation. He nods and gives them a thunbs-up, and that's the last thing Katnisss sees before they enter the city.

The crowd's initial alarm at their appearance quickly changes to cheers and shouts of "District Twelve!" Every head is turned their way, pulling the focus from the three chariots ahead of them. At first, Katniss is frozen, but then she can catch sight of them on a large television screen and she is floored by how breathtaking they both look. In the deepening twilight, the firelight illuminates their faces. They seemed to be leaving a trail of fire off the flowing capes. _Cinna was right about the minimal makeup, we both look more attractive but utterly recognizable._

_Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you! _Katniss could hear Cinna's voice in her head. She lifts her chin a bit higher, put on her most winning smile, and wave with her free hand. _I'm glad now I have Peeta to clutch for balance, he is so steady, solid as a rock. _As Katniss gains confidence, she actually blow a few kisses to the crowd. The people of the Capitol are going nuts, showering them with flowers, shouting their names, their first names, which they have bothered to find on the program.

The pounding music, the cheers, the admiration work their way into Katniss's blood, and she can't suppress her own excitement. _Cinna has given me a great advantage. No one will forget. Not my look, not my name. Katniss. The girl who was on fire._

For the first time, Katniss feels a flicker of hope risining up in her. _Surely, there must be one sponsor __willing to take me on! And with a little extra help, some food, the right weapon, why should I can't myself out of the Games? _

Someone throws Katniss a red rose. She catches it, give it a delicate sniff, and blow a kiss back in the general direction of the giver. A hundred hands reach up to catch her kiss, as if it were a real and tangible thing.

"Katniss! Katniss!" She could hear her name being called from all sides. _Everyone wants my kisses._

It's not until they enter the City Circle that Katniss realizes she must have completely stopped the circulation in Peeta's hand. _That's how tightly I've been holding it. _Katniss looks down at their linked fingers and try to loosen her grasp, but Peeta regains his grip on her. "No, don't let go of me," The firelight flickers off his blue eyes. "Please. I might fall out of this thing."

"Okay." Katniss smiles at him, because she knew deep down she didn't really want to let go either. So Katniss keeps holding on, but she can't help feeling strange about the way Cinna has linked them together. It's not really fair to present us as a team and then lock us into the arena to kill each other.

The twelve chariots fill the loop of the City Circle. On the buildings that surround the Circle, every window is packed with the most prestigious citizens of the Capitol. Katniss and Peeta's horses pull their chariot right up to President Snow's mansion, and they come to a halt. The music ends with a flourish.

The President, a small, thin man with paper-white hair, gives the official welcome from a balcony above them. It is traditional to cut away to the faces of the tributes during the speech. But Katniss could see on the screen that her and Peeta are getting way more than their share of airtime. The darker it becomes, the more difficult it is to take your eyes off their flickering of fire. When the national anthem plays, they do make an effort to do a quick cut around to each pair of tributes, but the cameras on District 12 chariot as it parades around the circle one final time and disappears into the Training Center.

* * *

The doors have only just shut behind them when they're engulfed by the prep teams, who are nearly unintelligible as they babble out praise. As Katniss glances around, she notices a lot of other tributes are shooting them dirty looks. _Which confirms what I've suspected, we've literally outshone them all. _Then Cinna and Portia are there, helping them down from the chariot, carefully removing our flaming capes and headdresses. Portia extinguishes them with some kind of spray from a conister.

Katniss looks up feeling eyes on her and sees the Career tributes from one and two glaring at her. The large blond-headed boy from District Two leans down to whisper something in his partner's ear. The girl with long dark hair with even darker eyes smiles at me as she listened to her partner. _What the hell's their problem? Jealous? _

Katniss looks down realizing she was still glued to Peeta and force her stiff fingers open. They both maasage their hands.

"Thanks for keeping hold of me. I was getting a little shaky there," admitted Peeta.

"It didn't show," Katniss tells him. "I'm sure no one noticed."

Peeta smirks at her. "I'm sure no one noticed anything but you. You should wear flames more often," "They suit you." he added.

He gives Katniss a smile that seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through her.

A warning bell goes off in her head. _Don't be stupid. Peeta is planning how to kill me. _Katniss keeps reminding herself of that. _He's luring me in to make me easy prey. The more likeable he is, the more deadly he is._

But because two can play at that games, Katniss stands on her tiptoes and kiss his cheek. When she pulls away she feels a strong shove against her knocking her down on the ground right on something warm and squishy. Katniss looks up into the smiling face of the girl from District 2 before looking down to see what she was laying in. It was horse droppings and from their own horse no less. The sound of laughter from the other tributes feels Katniss's ears.

"Hey, if that whole the girl on fire thing doesn't work out for you then why not be the girl on shit or something?" sneered the District 2 girl. The girl skips back to her partner and they high-five each others hands and point and laugh at Katniss.

Peeta helps Katniss to her feet not caring if he got poop on him. "I can't believe she had the nerve to do something like that." snarled Peeta.

Cinna and Portia along with the rest of the prep teams run over to see if Katniss was okay. Katniss was covered in horse mess from top to bottom. "Katniss are you alright?" asked Cinna. "I will be once I kick her ass!" Cinna grabbed hold of Katniss's arms to keep her from running after the girl across the Training Center.

"Why won't the Peacekeepers do something? Surely that isn't allowed." stated Peeta.

But the Peacekeepers that stood guard at the Training Center's entrance doors look off into the distance as if they didn't see and Portia try and lead an angry Katniss off to go get clean up inside with Peeta following close behind. The boy sent a dark glare at the Careers who only either smirked or returned their own glares right back at him.

"You better watch your backs Twelve!" yelled the District Two boy.


	3. Promises of Trust

Chapter 3:

As soon as they were inside the building Katniss darts away from the rest of the group into the nearest bathroom. She quickly wipes away the threatening tears that were about to leak out of her eyes. The distant sound of a heavy shuffle alerted Katniss that someone had followed her.

Peeta now stands in the open doorway his face full of concern for the girl who had stolen his heart. He grabs a wash cloth off a gold-plated rack hanging off the wall and wets it a little in the sink. "Don't let them get to you okay? You're better than they are." Katniss closes her eyes as Peeta steps closer to her and gently rubs the soft cloth against her clenches her fist tight from the anger of wanting nothing more then to be left alone, and not being babied by Peeta Mellark.

"Peeta, will you just leave me alone! I can clean myself up on my own just fine!" Katniss jerks away from the boy's annoying attempts to wipe away the horse feces from face.

"I'm only trying to help you." Peeta said quietly. He places the wet wash cloth down by the sink and turns to walk out of the bathroom leaving Katniss alone.

Katniss lets out a frustrated huff and begins to pull off her now ruined and smelly tribute costume. The once shiny black material that was now smelly and covered in brown chunks falls softly to the gray floor, leaving her standing there in nothing but her underwear.

Looking in the mirror Katniss finally saw how bloodshot her eyes had become and the now visible tiredness and stress that were appearing as well. _I just want this to be over with. Whether I live or die I just want it to be over with. _

Katniss glares at the white cloth that Peeta had used to wipe her face with. She grabs it and throws it in the trash can near the door. She wished she could throw away Peeta as easily as she did the wash cloth.

A soft knock breaks Katniss out of her thoughts. "Katniss, dear are you alright?" The signature high-pitched voice of Effie Trinket's is hard too mistake for anyone else's. Katniss pulls off her underwear and begins to unravel her braided hair.

"I'm fine Effie, I'm just going to take a quick shower." yelled Katniss. She already had one of the showers running, ready to jump. "Okay, then I will have one of the Avoxes leave you some fresh clothes and just head on up to the 12th floor when you are done."

"Okay fine, whatever." Katniss didn't try to hide or sugar coat the fact that she was trying to quickly dismiss the woman, but she just wanted to be alone for the time being. The sharp tapping of Effie's high heels grows faint and Katniss happily jumps into the steaming water.

With minutes all the horse feces and its horrid smell is finally gone leaving Katniss smelling like a field of flowers. The clothes the Avox left her were lying on a bench and Katniss wasted no time in clothing herself with the clean materials. All she was wearing was a simple white blouse and a black pair of loose pants. She decided to just leave her hair wet and let it air dry on its own.

Grabbing the dirty costume by letting it drag on the floor away from her was the only way she would get it out of there and back to Cinna. She didn't want to treat it in that kind of way but it was still covered in the smelly clumps of horse feces and she didn't want it on her again.

* * *

Everything was quiet when Katniss stepped out into the hallway. The rest of the tributes and their stylist had cleared away a long time ago and all Katniss had to do was hop on the elevator and ride it to her District's suite floor. A few Avoxes came and went doing whatever it is that they were ordered to do, and several armed Peacekeepers stood guard near the exits. She could feel their cold eyes trail her every move.

The elevators were located down the long hallway and Katniss made her way towards them with the costume trailing behind her. A long row of glowing buttons with the numbers of all the training center's entire floors ran along the wall by the elevators. Katniss pressed the 12th button and the doors opened silently for her.

The ride to her floor wasn't long but it still made her stomach uneasy. Back home she didn't spend much of her time riding elevators for fun. When the elevator doors opened she didn't see anyone but a few Avoxes that stood near certain doors but other then that the 12th floor felt empty.

Before Katniss could make her way towards the room where she figured everyone was in another set of elevators opened up down the hall.

"Where the hell are we this isn't our floor?" Two girls stepped off the elevator swaying and staggering with each step they took. Katniss rolled her eyes knowing the girls were more then likely drunk.

"Glimmer, you're such an idiot you can't tell the difference between 12 and fucking 2?"

The tall blonde girl finally managed to lean herself against the wall before spotting Katniss staring back at them. "Hey Clove, isn't that the bitch you pushed in that pile of horse shit outside?" Katniss's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before narrowing with hate at the shorter dark haired girl that was now looking back at her smirking.

"Yeah that's her." said Clove pointing at the dirty costume in Katniss's hands. Katniss threw down the costume and started charging at Clove.

She pushed Glimmer out of her way who easy fell over on the floor and passed out not a second later.

Katniss grabbed Clove by the collar of her shirt and flung her hard against the wall with her fist raised to hit the girl.

Clove laughed at Katniss who was now seething with rage. "Is this the part where I beg for my life?"

"No it's the part where I knock you the fuck out." sneered Katniss. Katniss sent her fist flying into the side of the girl's face and she slumped down onto the floor unconscious.

The Avoxes who witnessed the who altercation stood dumbstruck as to whether or not they should do something. Katniss ignored their stares and grabbed her costume ready to join up with her team until a thought came to her mind.

Katniss dragged her costume over to where Clove laid still unconscious. Grabbing a handful of horse feces in her hand from off her costume Katniss spread the defecate all over Clove's face and in her hair.

Katniss smiled at her handy work and in less then a minute she had managed to drag both Clove and Glimmer back onto the elevator they had come off of. She pressed the glowing number 2 button and the doors closed taking the girls back to their floor.

Before Katniss went inside the room to join her team she looked back at the Avox boy that stood next to the doors. She places her finger on her lips smiling at the Avox to keep this all between them. The Avox boy just stared back at her in puzzlement.

"Well there she is at last!" Katniss braced herself as Effie came at her with arms wide open for a hug. The older woman engulfed her in her arms.

Cinna walks up to Katniss and looks at the damaged costume in sadness. "Don't worry it's nothing that I can't fix." Her stylist takes the costume from her and lays it on a chair across the room.

"Come,come we can finally eat." Effie ushers Katniss and Cinna into the dining room where Peeta, Haymitch, and the rest of the styling team were located around the dinner table.

Katniss takes the empty seat by Peeta refusing to make eyes contact with him. "Hey you okay now?" asked Peeta. Katniss forces out a smile that may have looked more like a grimace at the boy. "Yeah I'm good now, just hungry and tired is all."Peeta places his large hand on her shoulder giving her a comforting squeeze that felt surprisingly good to her.

"Glad to see you're still hanging in there sweetheart." slurs a drunk Haymitch. The man downs himself another glass of white liquor before passing out over a bowl of food.

"Oh no, Haymitch, not in the chicken casserole dish." cried Effie. "And it was my favorite, now it is just ruined."

Peeta tried to pick Haymitch's head up and out of the hot food so he could breathe. Effie motions for one of the Avoxes bringing food to the table to carry Haymitch back to his room.

Cinna has an Avox bring out a cake that he ordered specially in honor of the tribute's fiery debut. Peeta turns on the TV to the one channel on it where the Capitol was airing the Tribute's Parade again, but of course District 12 got the most airtime then any other District in the parade.

Katniss began fixing her plate while Effie went over their schedule for the next few days here in the training center. "And you both will start the agenda off with three days of training that starts every morning at 10:00 sharp." "The rest of the agenda we will handle as it comes along, and meet me here for breakfast, any questions?" asks Effie.

"Yeah are they going to bring out anymore of this lamb stew with dried plums it''s so good?" Katniss asked with a mouth full of food. Peeta couldn't help but laugh and smile at her.

"Honestly Katniss take this a bit more seriously you will need all the help you can get in this short amount of time before the games begin." Effie said crossly. Katniss rolled her eyes before fixing another plate of food.

Katniss stops eating and her eyes grow wide in surprise. A red headed Axov catches her attention that looks so familiar. The Avox girl who was clearing away the mess Haymitch made looked up to meet Katniss's gaze and she to shows her recognition of her.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" asked Cinna.

"I think I've seen her once before." said Katniss pointing at the Avox.

"Don't be silly, how could you know her she's an Avox of all things, a traitor to her own nation." stated Effie who was already dismissing the whole thing.

"She does kind of resemble Delly Carthwright from school doesn't she?" asked Peeta.

Katniss shakes her head clear the memory of meeting the girl before she became an Avox racing through her mind. The memory of seeing her and the little boy that was with her running away from their District only to be caught by the Peacekeepers.

"Yeah of course, that's who I was thinking of. It must be the hair," exclaimed Katniss.

"Well now that we've settled that let's continue this lovely meal." smiles Effie.

After dinner Cinna and Portia said their farewells for the night as well as Effie who made it clear that she stuck to a strict sleep schedule that she couldn't afford to mess up on.

"I encourage you both to get a good night's rest and be ready to starting training tomorrow, goodnight dears." Effie softly closed the door to the dining room behind her as she left.

"I guess that just leaves me and you to keep each other company, huh." Katniss looks at Peeta who was smiling back at her.

"Actually...I think I'm going to take this bowl of chocolate delight with me and go to bed." said Katniss already getting up from the table.

"Wait, wait...do you trust me?" asked Peeta.

"What?" Katniss furrowed her eyebrows together trying to process his question. _Do I trust you? Him? No I can't trust him how could I? _

"I just want to show you something before we call it a night. Please?" Peeta holds out his hand for Katniss to take.

Katniss against her better judgment places her smaller hand in his and he softly grasps it leading her out of the dining room. "Don't worry you won't regret it I promise."

"Peeta Mellark we've only been here a day and already you are making promises to me?"

The boy looks back at Katniss with a soft glint of playfulness in his eyes. "Well how else am I to gain your trust? And my promises are never broken that's for sure."

Katniss pulls her hand out of his. She still hasn't gotten use to the hand holding yet not that she planned on getting use to it though."Okay, but this better be worth my while like you promised it would be or I may just have to kill you now."

"I never took you for a girl with a sense of humor, but come on it's this way." Peeta leads the way and Katniss all but follows with a knife tucked safely in the waist band of her pants.


End file.
